On July 15, 1971, Richard Nixon went to NBC's studios in Burbank, California and announced that he would visit China. The news came as a surprise to all but a few people. Because the U.S. didn't have diplomatic relations with Beijing, the U.S. government had none of the usual diplomatic infrastructure in place to support the visit. Where would they go, what would be done, and who would be involved all had to worked out. How would the President stay connected to the government he led in the U.S. and how would news coverage be facilitated? The responsibility for making the necessary arrangements and working to coordinate the visit with Chinese authorities fell to the President's staff. On October 13, 2010, three of Nixon's key aides came to USC to discuss what was involved and how they worked to ensure the visit was a success, especially in terms of trying to ensure positive reporting about the historic trip. The impact of Richard Nixon's trip to Beijing was immediate. In the second hour of the program, scholars from USC and the Nixon Center in Washington will discuss China's place in the world today, examining U.S.-China ties, global issues such as climate change, as well as China's expanding role in the Middle East, and its relations with Asian neighbors.